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Matt Collis

Director, International Policy

As Director, International Policy, Matt works in collaboration with the global program leadership team to lead IFAW’s engagement with international institutions, conventions and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). These include the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Prior to this role, Matt Collis led IFAW's efforts to protect our planet's great whales from commercial whaling and the many other threats they face worldwide as Acting Whale Program Director.

With an education and work experience in politics, specializing in international relations and environmental issues, Matt joined IFAW in 2005. Matt spent six years in the London office, working across all of IFAW’s campaigns and leading IFAW’s relations with the UK government, before moving to Sydney in 2011. As Policy & Campaigns Manager in the IFAW Oceania office, Matt led campaigns focused on protecting the whales in the region and the wonderful and unique animals, such as koalas, wombats and kangaroos that call Australia home.

Matt was invited as an adviser onto the Australian government delegation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as well as attending these conventions as part of IFAW’s delegation.

In August 2016, Matt returned to the UK, and led the preparations for the IFAW delegation to the IWC meeting in October, subsequently acting as Whale Program Director before taking on his current role.